hafely



2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

A. C. HAFELY.

ALBUM CLASP.

Patented Sept. 9, 1890.

`(No Model.) 2 'Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. o. HAPBLY.

ALBUM CLASP.

No. 436,132. Patented sept. 9. 1890.

@R-lineman 51411914160@ l v d alf/606140,13. v gym@ WM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' ALFRED C. HAFELY, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

ALBUM-CLASP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 486,132, dated September 9, 1890. Y

l Application filed February 24, 1890. Serial No. 341,399. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.'

13e it known that I, ALFRED C. HAFELY, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city, county, and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Album-Clasps, ot' which the following is a specification.

t Album-clasps have heretofore been made 1n which there is a plate sliding within a box and acted upon by toggles that are moved by a screw, as represented in Letters Patent No. $74,674 granted to me December 13, 1887; and 1n other instances album-clasps have been made with lever ends projecting at the edges of the box, the points of the levers acting upon the plate that slides within t-he box.

In my present improvements I make use of toggle-bars connected with the plate that slides within the box, and such toggle-bars are acted upon by projections that pass out at the edges ot' the box, so that by pressure against these projecting portions the toggles are moved to project the sliding plate andrelieve pressure of the spring that acts to draw such sliding plate into the box.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the clasp with the cap-plate partially removed. 2 is a horizontal section at the line x. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the clasp, and Fig. 4 represents a-modication of the present invention.

The box of this clasp is made of two plates A B, of any desired or ornamental shape, and the plate C slides within the box, and there are clipsD provided, as usual, for connecting the clasp to the cover of the album or book, and either the extension-plate C or the box is connected to one of the clip-plates by hinges.

I have shown the hinges E upon one edge of the box and the extension-plate C as provided with an opening to hook over the stud or projection upon the other clip-plate, as usual, and I make use of a spring F, that acts to draw the extension-plate C into the box and thereby exert its force to close the covers of the book toward each other. This spring may be of any suitable form. In Figs. 1 and 2 I have represented the same as helical and within a recess 3 in the plate B and acting against the toe 4 upon the plate C. The toggles G are each connected at one end to the plate C, and in their normal positions these toggles stand diagonally to each other,

as represented in the drawings, and when the toggles are pressed into a nearly parallel position the plate C is forced outwardly from the box. In order to press these toggles G into a nearly parallel position to each other I prefer to employ the swinging links H, pivoted at 5 to the corners of the box A B, and

these links are bent or L-shaped, so that4 their shorter ends pass into the box atits edges, and the ends of such swinging links are pivoted or hinged to the moving ends of the toggles G. Hence when pressure is applied toy these swinging links to force them toward the edges of the box the swinging ends of these links carry ,the moving ends of the toggles toward each other and swing the toggles parallel,or nearly so, and thereby such toggles are caused to move the plateCoutwardly and against the action of the spring F, and when the pressure upon these swinging links is released the spring F acts to draw the plate C into the box and therebydraw one clip-plate toward the other.

In Fig. 4 I have represented the moving ends of the toggles G as hinged to thengerpieces H', that project at opposite edges of the box A B, and these finger-pieces may be tubular so as to be guided by a rod or stem extending from one to the other and having a spring F2 around the same, so that this spring F2 acts to separate the finger-pieces H and draw the plate (l inwardly'by the action ot the toggles G. These inger-pieces pass through openings in the edges of the boxAB. In all instances the toggles are acted upon by pressure applied to the projections at the opposite edges of the box, which projections are connected with the toggles formoving the same and acting upon the extension-plate C.

In Fig. 4 a spring F, of wire or dat metal, is represented as between the toe 4 and a projection at the back of the plate B of the box.

The dotted lines 8, Fig. 4, show toggles that are longer and cross each other. These may be used 'in 'place of those shown by the full lines. It the toggles are inclined in the reverse direction, as shown by the dotted lines 9, the

projecting end pieces will require to be pulled IOO an album-clasp and the extension-plate C sliding within the same, of inclined togglelinks pivoted at one end upon the extensionplate, and yielding projections connected to the toggle-links and extending beyond the edges of the box, so as to be moved in forcing the extension-plate outwardly, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the box A B in an albuimclasp and the extension-plate C Within the same, of the spring acting upon such extension-p1ate to draw it into the box, toggles pivoted upon the extension-plate for moving the same against the action of the spring, and projections at the edges of the box towhioh the toggles are pivoted, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, in :i book or album A. C. HAFELY. Witnesses:

GEO. T. PINCKNEY, WILLIAM G. MoT'r. 

